Mouth speculum



Apri1'25, 1950 Q sslN I 2,505,056

MOUTH SPECULUM Filed Nov. 7, 1947 INVENTOR; .V/cme fM'ss/n/f Patented Apr. 25, 1959 UNITED STATES eATsNif cr mes Victor Messine, New York, N. Y., now by V judicial change of name Victor J. Terre Application November 7, 1947, Serial No. 784,687

5 claims. (01. 1'2s 12) My invention has to do with a combined mouth speculum and tongue support primarily, although not necessarily, intended for the development of facial musculature, vocal resonance, clarity of articulation, and eradication of various forms of defective speech, as lisps, stammeringstuttering, oversibilance, monotony, overinfiection, nasalism, etc. r H

The invention is characterized by a. mouth dilator operating conjunctively with a tongue support, the dilatorbeing introduced and adjusted in the mouth of the pupil or patient to-hold it wide open while the support is manipulated to force the tongue back rectilinearly in a horizontal plane.

When the jaws are fully expanded, the pupils lips, are drawn tightwith some of the upper and lower teeth showing. .Then, too, the lower jaw is normally controlled by the muscles used in mastication.

By dilating the mouth and holding the tongue back in a straight horizontal line, as aforesaid, the muscles of the tongue, jaw, larynx, etc., essential to phonation, are activated, the muscles normally employed for mastication'are freed, and a definite laryngeal resonance is established.

More precisely, the invention involves a mouth prop having cross openings therein, and equipped with upper and lower jaw arches by means of which the mouth may be held open; -in combination with a rod which is selectively inserted transversely in any of said openings, and which has terminally swivelled thereto a novel tongue supportthe outer length of the rod serving as a handle for securing the desired position of the tongue, i. e., pushed back horizontally in a straight line. 1 I

' Theprop and tongue support have been devised to permit their being quickly disconnected to provide for independent use when the occasion so requires.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the instrument.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the invention as applied to the mouth of a human.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, with the tongue support being shown partially in section.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the lower arch bar.

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of the ball and socket connection of the tongue support andhandle, and

Fig. 6 is a. top plan view of the upper dental arch.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5

designates a prop or strut in the form of a post and having at the top an upper dental arch 6, formed of rubber or similar material with a Vshaped recess 1. Below the arch, the prop is provided with a plurality of transverse, internally screw-threaded bores 8, the bottom extremity being similarly threaded and longitudinally channelled or kerfed at 9. Designed to be selectively inserted in bores 8 is a complementally threaded rod l6 carrying at its inner end a removable, vertically disposed tongue support H, and. at its outer end a knurled operating knob 12. The tongue support is constructed at its top with a converging portion Is having 'a forwardly extending, relatively short lip i4, while the lower portion has a more pronounced lip l5, also deflected forwardly and formed with a medial opening i 6 so as to render it bifurcated. Between the upper and lower lips, the support is flat and approximately midway at I! is preferably enlarged at its rear to make provision for a ball and socket joint [8 with the adjacent end of rod In. As illustrated in Fig. 5, this specific connection may be for sanitary purposes modified by enclosing the ball IS with a detachable cap i9 to permitzone, the underside thereof carrying an insert 26 of suitable cushioning material, of V-shape in cross-section, and constituting the lower jaw arch. lhe upper side of each wing is concave, as at 21, to accommodate the fingers, as when it is desired to depress the bar against the lower jaw. And operating on the prop above and below the central zone, is a pair of annular nuts 2829 which are employed to lock the bar against accidental displacement when once set in its desired position with relation to the prop.

In practice, and with particular reference to Fig. 2, the device, in its entirety, is inserted in the mouth with the operating extremity of rod [0 protruding outwardly, it being understood, of course, that initially it is determined as to which of bores 8 is best suited for positioning the rod so that the tongue support II will be in perfect alignment with the tongue 3!]. The prop is then arranged between the upper and lower jaws or teeth, that is, arch 6 with its recess 1 is caused to engage the upper teeth 3| and insert 26 bridged over the lower teeth 32 by sliding it up or down to obtain the correct setting. With the fingers resting upon the upper concave surfaces 21 of wings 24 and forcibly depressing the bar 20, nut 28 is screwed home against the top surface of the bar, thereby firmly anchoring the device. Finally, knob l2 of rod I0 is turned appropriately so that support II will impinge against the tongue and constrain the latter rearwardly to the desired degree, this adjustment being expedited by virtue of the bifurcated extremity of the support which straddles the frenum under the tongue.

It will thus be seen that the instrument sustains the tongue in a rigid position and holds the mouth Wide open, thereby lowering the larynx, opening the throat, and tensioning the vocal and facial musculature.

In trainin the tongue alone to be held up. the support and its manipulating handle can be used without the mouth prop. This is accomplished by dismantling the rod [0 with respect to the mouth prop. And whetherthe support is employed alone or in conjunction with the prop, it is important that the mouth be opened wide, with the tip of the tongue pointing upwards, that thebifurcated extremity of the support be placed gently over the frenum, and the tongue pressed backwards on a true horizontal line.

The tongue must not be pushed down nor up at an angle, but, forced straight into the back of the mouth, if the tongue is not supported in a straight line, the wrong muscles for proper phonation will be activated.

With'the use of my device together with suitable exercises, both registers of the human voice-the lower and the ialsettoare developed. When a definite lower and falsetto'register have been established, the pupil can begin to sing songs that are within the limit of ones voice with the instrument adjusted in ones mouth. As previously pointed out, the invention being centrally adjusted on the labiated opening of the mouth, holds up the tongue and maintains the jaws apart in predetermined, position, thereby lowering the larynx and producing an opening in the throat.

The invention comprises a minimum number of simple components which are easily and quickly assembled or disassembled. This makes for tending transversely through the prop, the rod being provided at one end with a vertically disposed tongue support and at the other end with a handle, the tongue support having outwardly divergent extremities with an intermediate fiat surface, and the lower extremity being bifurcated medially.

2. A device of the character described, comprising in combination a mouth prop, a rod extending transversely through the prop, the rod being provided at one end with a vertically disposed tongue support and at the other end with a handle, the tongue support having outwardly divergent upper and lower extremities, the upper extremity being relatively short while the lower extremity is of greater length and medially bifurcated at-its lower edge.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a mouth prop in the form of a single post, a tongue support carried by the prop, the upper'end of the prop having a dental arch, and a transverse integral bar mounted at the lower extremity of the prop and including a central portion provided with an offset extension and a pair of longitudinally alined wings projecting oppositely therefrom, the extension carrying a dental arch. v

4. A device of the character described, comprising in combination a mouth prop, a tongue support carried by the prop, the'lower extremity of the prop being longitudinally slotted and externally threaded, a transverse bar keyed to the slot, the bar having a central ofiset extension, 2. cushioning insert disposed in the extension, and lock nuts mounted on opposite sides of the bar and in mesh with the threaded extremity.

5. A device of the character described, com

prising in combination a mouth prop, a tongue support carried by the prop, the upper end or the prop having a dental arch, a transverse bar adiustably mounted at the lower extremity of the prop'and including a central portion and oppositely disposed lateral wings,'the central portion provided with an offset extension arranged at right angles to the general reach of the bar, and a dental arch in the extension.

' VICTOR J.MESSINE.

7 REFERENCES CITED The 'followingreferences are of record in the fileoi this patent: I

.UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 20,905 Thomas July 13, 1858 485,609 Casebeer Nov. 8, 1892 1,044,206 Little Nov. 12, 1912 1,319,904 Roberts Oct. 28, 1919 

